Arroz Meloso de Verduras (Mellow Vegetable Rice)
This yummy rice dish is the last in a run of Spanish recipes on the blog, inspired by Omar Allibhoy's book "Tapas Revolution". When people think of rice and Spain, they tend to think of a paella with seafood or chicken or maybe even both but there's so much more to it than that. The word "paella" is actually the name of the pot in which the rice dishes are cooked and there are literally hundreds of variations on this famous dish.
This rice dish incorporates lots of great veg as well as toasted saffron, sweet pimentón, lots of garlic, some chilli and fresh flat leaf parsley, making it super flavourful and perhaps a little more exciting than the standard paella we tend to cook here in the UK.
Arroz Meloso de Verduras (Mellow Vegetable Rice)
Serves 6 side a side or tapas/4 as a main course
150ml olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small fennel bulb, chopped
handful of green beans, halved or sliced
1 courgette, chopped
6 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tsp sweet pimentón
1g saffron
1 dried or fresh red chilli, seeded and chopped
2 tomatoes, grated
1.5 litres vegetable stock
350g bomba rice
3 sprigs of flat leaf parsley, leaves finely chopped
Wrap the saffron in foil and toast it for 30 seconds on each side in a wide paella pan or wide-bottomed pan over a medium heat. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Turn the heat up to high and add the olive oil and salt to the pan. Add the onion, pepper and fennel and cook for a few minutes until golden, then add the beans, courgette and garlic. Cook each vegetable for a minute or two before adding the next one.
Add the pimentón, toasted saffron, chilli and tomatoes. Cook for 3 minutes and then add the stock. Bring it to the boil and add the rice. Give it a good stir and leave to cook over a high heat for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, add the chopped parsley leaves and then taste and adjust the seasoning. Reduce the heat to low, give it a final stir and leave the rice to cook for 5 minutes - without stirring. Remove from the heat and rest for a further 5 minutes before serving. Serve immediately - it should be eaten as soon as it's read otherwise it will overcook.
TIP: Omar said in his book that "you wait for the rice, the rice doesn't wait for you" and this is especially true of this dish.
This rice dish incorporates lots of great veg as well as toasted saffron, sweet pimentón, lots of garlic, some chilli and fresh flat leaf parsley, making it super flavourful and perhaps a little more exciting than the standard paella we tend to cook here in the UK.
Arroz Meloso de Verduras (Mellow Vegetable Rice)
Serves 6 side a side or tapas/4 as a main course150ml olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small fennel bulb, chopped
handful of green beans, halved or sliced
1 courgette, chopped
6 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tsp sweet pimentón
1g saffron
1 dried or fresh red chilli, seeded and chopped
2 tomatoes, grated
1.5 litres vegetable stock
350g bomba rice
3 sprigs of flat leaf parsley, leaves finely chopped
Wrap the saffron in foil and toast it for 30 seconds on each side in a wide paella pan or wide-bottomed pan over a medium heat. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Turn the heat up to high and add the olive oil and salt to the pan. Add the onion, pepper and fennel and cook for a few minutes until golden, then add the beans, courgette and garlic. Cook each vegetable for a minute or two before adding the next one.
Add the pimentón, toasted saffron, chilli and tomatoes. Cook for 3 minutes and then add the stock. Bring it to the boil and add the rice. Give it a good stir and leave to cook over a high heat for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, add the chopped parsley leaves and then taste and adjust the seasoning. Reduce the heat to low, give it a final stir and leave the rice to cook for 5 minutes - without stirring. Remove from the heat and rest for a further 5 minutes before serving. Serve immediately - it should be eaten as soon as it's read otherwise it will overcook.
TIP: Omar said in his book that "you wait for the rice, the rice doesn't wait for you" and this is especially true of this dish.
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